Sydney Stroemer (10), who lives in Zurich and Greenwich, shops for Christmas gifts with her mother on Greenwich Ave in Greenwich, Conn. on Monday December 16, 2013.

Sydney Stroemer (10), who lives in Zurich and Greenwich, shops for Christmas gifts with her mother on Greenwich Ave in Greenwich, Conn. on Monday December 16, 2013.

Photo: Dru Nadler

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Lauren Walsh of Greenwich shops on Greenwich Ave in Greenwich, Conn. on Monday December 16, 2013.

Lauren Walsh of Greenwich shops on Greenwich Ave in Greenwich, Conn. on Monday December 16, 2013.

Photo: Dru Nadler

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Jen Fay of Darien shops for Christams gifts on Greenwich Ave in Greenwich, Conn. on Monday December 16, 2013.

Jen Fay of Darien shops for Christams gifts on Greenwich Ave in Greenwich, Conn. on Monday December 16, 2013.

Photo: Dru Nadler

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Trending: How We Shop for the Holidays

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Shoppers across the nation are spending more money this year, although they're buying fewer presents than in years past, a trend that local gift-givers say they've noticed while making their own purchases.

According to an annual holiday shopping report compiled by Deloitte, the average American expects to spend $421 on gifts this year, up 9 percent from 2012. But while more cash may be flying out of shoppers' wallets, the space beneath Christmas trees around the nation is a bit barer these days.

Deloitte's report finds that the average gift-giver plans to bestow 12.9 presents upon friends and family this year. That number is relatively steady when compared to last year's 12.8 gifts, and signals a leveling off after a steady decline during the recession. Back in 2007, the number was about 180 percent greater at 23.1 gifts, before falling to 21.5 gifts in 2008, 18.2 in 2009 and onward over the next few years.

"I think the recession had people rethinking and reprioritizing," said Joe Welter, a partner at Deloitte and a "retail leader" in the Northeast.

"Americans said that for instance, we can't buy as many gifts for as many different people, so maybe I'll buy something a little better quality or a larger-ticket kind of item, something really special for people," he said.

And that's exactly the mindset that was swirling through the air on the streets earlier this week as shoppers shuffled from one store to the next, checking off items on their list.

"I'm buying fewer presents than other years," Shelton resident Theodora Fatibene said Monday afternoon as she shopped on the Post Road in Fairfield.

Other locals, shopping on the same stretch of sidewalk that day near Banana Republic and Loft had similar stories, including Joyce Kirchgasser of Fairfield, who spent the afternoon shopping with her 15-year-old daughter Katie.

"You just kind of realize you don't need to give a gift to everybody. You don't need to spend money just to spend money," Kirchgasser said.

Greenwich resident Lauren Walsh, who stepped out to Greenwich Avenue in her hometown that same day, said her new approach to Christmas is linked with the fact that money, in general, does not stretch as far as it used to go. For instance, she cited her grocery bill, which has steadily increased over time.

"The money is going quicker. I think that the economy has gotten slowly better since 2008, but it's taking dips and weaves, so I think I'm being smarter about my money," she said. "So there are fewer presents, but they're more qualitative. There's less emphasis on excess and more emphasis on quality time together."

A new way of thinking about money that has swept through the nation's consciousness since the recession began has influenced many consumers' ideas about how to fill the space beneath the tree.

"I think people are a little more conscious of not buying junk just to buy junk," Darien resident Jen Fay said as she walked down Greenwich Avenue on Monday. "So I'm trying to get the person what they want."

And that wish list can be a lot more precise these days.

"My daughter's list is so specific. She actually drew pictures and stuff like that. She doesn't want me to waste any time or money on her stuff. She's just like, `I want an infinity scarf. Not a regular scarf -- cream or maroon.' She's organized," Fay said.

Her experience is not unique to the Fay family; with the proliferation of mobile technology and increasing access to the Internet, shoppers and gift recipients are better informed than ever.

According to Deloitte, 71 percent of smartphone owners and 69 percent of tablet owners in the New York City area reported they planned to use their devices to help them shop this season, while 46 percent of area shoppers said they would use social media to assist in their shopping.

And infusing technology into an age-old process enables people to find what items exist and where to find them, a phenomenon that has revolutionized holiday shopping.

"There are higher expectations on the part of consumers. They're smarter and more cautious," Welter said. "I think it's because they have an availability of a lot more information for themselves, and they're accessing it because they want to be more prudent in their purchases."

And for shoppers looking to fulfill super-specific friends and family, this kind of access might just be the Christmas miracle they're searching for.